The Staff of Kirosh
by Niles
Summary: Link is now the commander-in-chief of Hyrule's army and is under heavy strain. The king is dead and the government is in transition. Plenty of action and a bit of romance.


Link strode down a winding, stone corridor in an unfamiliar place filled with the stench of death. As he journeyed down his path the blood-splattered walls and mangled corpses strewn about showed signs of some sort of struggle. He marched on wondering where in the nine hells he was and how he had gotten there.   
  
After walking for a good 30 minutes, he noticed a room filled with people located up ahead at what seemed to be the end of the corridor. As he came closer he made out the forms of the room's inhabitants; Hylian soldiers and small children no older than six.  
  
The soldiers were dressed in full battle regalia with their blood-covered swords drawn and pointed at the young Hylians who were dressed in silk nightgowns. The soldiers encroached on the children, and Link noticed that the look on the Hylian warriors' faces did not seem right. Drawing closer, Link saw with horror the distinct characteristics plastered on the soldiers' faces.  
  
Link tried to move forward to fight off the deranged madmen, but he was somehow glued to where he stood. He watched helplessly as the soldiers came bearing down on the children not knowing what to do or what to even think. The children looked over towards Link and screamed out to him, crying for help, but Link could do nothing as he watched the screaming children become limp forms sprawled out on the thick, red carpet.   
  
Link awoke abruptly, shooting upright in his bed and shouting at the top of his lungs. The same nightmare that had been plaguing him for weeks had struck again.   
  
Link instantly glanced about the room making sure it was as empty as it was when he fell asleep, and after he was satisfied he rose to his feet.  
  
He paced about the room for a few moments dwelling on the nightmare. 'Always the same,' Link thought, 'always the same long maze-like corridor and always the room at the end of it.'   
  
The nightmare had baffled Link as it only seemed to come to him when he went to bed extremely pleased, and indeed he had been extremely pleased as only a few minutes before he went to his room for the night he had shared an unexpected lip-lock with Malon.  
  
Link had taken temporary residence in a tiny room located at Lon Lon Ranch which contained only a straw bed and a rocking chair that stood on opposite sides of the wooden floor. The reason he was lodging in such a shoddy place was that he wished to remain un-bothered and undisturbed by the many people who would bother and disturb him if he took up residence in a more public place.   
  
At the moment the government of Hyrule was in upheaval, for the King of Hyrule had recently died of a heart attack. Zelda being his only heir, she was pushed by many bureaucrats to become the Queen. The high-ranking liberal officials of the bureaucracy heatedly opposed her, however, and they strived to rid Hyrule of the monarchy altogether.   
  
Being the commander-in-chief of Hyrule's army meant that Link held great sway in the debates and hearings about what was to become of Hyrule's government. Link was torn between his lifelong friend and his own conscious beliefs, for he himself wished Hyrule to be rid of the monarchy as well.  
  
Both Zelda and the liberals constantly hounded him wherever he went, pleading their cases and begging him join their causes. It was a most distressing situation.  
  
But even more distressing was the situation at hand, that of his frequent nightmares. Link had had nightmares before, but they had not even come close to the realism of the ones that plagued him now.   
  
Everything about the horrid dreams seemed so real, so vivid. It was as if Link was actually there, experiencing it all.   
  
His musings were disrupted, however, by a knock on the door and a voice Link knew very well.  
  
"Link? Is something the matter? I thought I heard voices."  
  
"Come in Malon," Link replied.  
  
The door creaked open and a tall, slender woman with dashing red hair slipped into the room. Link could not help but notice that Malon looked beautiful even at night. She wore a silvery nightgown that perhaps increased her appeal even more, as it left little to the imagination.  
  
"Hi," Malon said awkwardly as she immediately became aware that her gown was somewhat see-through.   
  
"Er, right back at ya," Link said. The greeting sounded much better in his head than when he had said it aloud.  
  
"So, uhm, what was all that noise about?" Malon questioned avoiding Link's eyes, instead choosing to glance at the wooden floor.   
  
"Uh, what noise?" Link said, though as he said he suddenly realized what a simpleton he must have sounded like. "Oh, oh, the voices, yeah, uhm, the shouting, must've come from somewhere outside. It woke me up too," Link lied not wanting to appear a coward.  
  
"Oh, well, in that case I suppose I'll just go back to bed." Malon remained standing there for a moment which made Link wonder if she had bought his story. After worrying about this for a good ten seconds Link began to ponder another reason for why Malon had not yet left. He boldly took a step forward ready to plant a kiss on the beautiful young woman when Malon quickly and abruptly turned and exited the room, her footsteps fading into the silence of the night. 


End file.
